


What happens at night

by Dusklatte



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Comfort, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Spoilers, Gen, Grief/Mourning, PRECIOUS GOLDEN DEER STUDENTS LOVE THEIR PROFESSOR CHANGE MY MIND, Pre-Time Skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-13 17:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20178265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dusklatte/pseuds/Dusklatte
Summary: Ever since the unavoidable death occurred, Byleth had been in mourning.Her students want her to know that they will always be there for her.





	What happens at night

**Author's Note:**

> I hate when sad ideas get into my head and then I wrITE THEM ANYWAY-
> 
> Anyway, Golden Deer for best house, etc. etc. etc....
> 
> Hope you all like!

Since Jeralt’s murder, Byleth had been seen with only two different facial expressions – lost and distraught. After all, who wouldn’t be upset if their only parent had been killed in front of them, and they were helpless to save them?

As such, Byleth had been given time away from teaching. The Golden Deer house were temporarily distributed between the Blue Lions and Black Eagles, much to the students’ disdain. Claude had decided that whilst they remained in this arrangement, every evening, the Golden Deer students were to meet at the dining hall to catch up.

They had invited Byleth of course, to try and give her some sense of normality in her day-to-day life, but not once had she appeared. Disappointing, but understandable.

Outside of lessons and mealtimes, they had decided to have somebody keep an eye on Byleth (not that Seteth, Alois and Rhea weren’t doing the same) to make sure she didn’t do anything reckless.

Being a restless sleeper, Claude often kept an eye on her at night. He had noticed a common occurrence over the first week following Jeralt’s funeral.

She would wait until the monastery was silent and dark, before leaving her dormitory with dark bags under her eyes, and a candle in her hands. She would slowly make her way over to the graveyard, and upon her arrival, would place her candle at the grave shared by her mother and father.

After that, she would sit next to the grave, and eventually fall asleep against the headstone after a long session of crying.

Before dawn, she would rise and return to her room.

Once Claude had figured out her routine, he reported it back to the rest of the Golden Deer house the next evening. All of them were shocked at what their professor had been doing at night – they had all assumed that she hadn’t left her room in over a week by this point.

“So… We gotta do something, right? Maybe we should make her a large, hearty meal to remind her that we’re her family too!” Raphael’s suggestion earned him a glare from Lysithea.

“Our professor is in mourning. I doubt she would be wanting to eat anything too substantial – perhaps some sweets would be better.”

As the conversation remained lingering around feeding Byleth, he could see some people dwelling on their thoughts. Marianne had her hands clasped together, whispering something under her breath. Most likely a prayer to ensure their professor’s happiness. However, Leonie was sat with her arms folded and her eyes closed – she mourned for Jeralt too. Ignatz was simply looking between whoever was speaking. Hilda appeared to be making some sort of accessory with a charm which happened to look like Byleth’s crest.

The entire house fell silent when Lorenz made a sudden suggestion.

“Could we not all join our professor as she grieves, to allow her to know she is not alone at these darkest of times?”

Claude clapped slowly, a smirk forming on his face. “You’ve given me an idea, Lorenz… We _should _join Teach. She’s always alone when she goes to the graveyard. Perhaps, when she falls asleep at the grave tonight, we join her. Not to be creepy or anything, but to let her know that we will be there for her even as she mourns Jeralt.”

* * *

* * *

Nightfall arrived quickly.

Unlike the rest of the Officer’s Academy, the Golden Deer house were up and about. They had all decided to meet near the doors to the training grounds after Byleth had made her journey to the graveyard, because she always left when she believed everyone was asleep. Each of them had brought something along for their dear professor.

Once everyone but Flayn had gathered, they started to talk silently between one-another so as not to disturb any other sleeping students. They just had to wait for Flayn, then they would make their way over to the graveyard where Byleth would likely be sleeping.

_None of them were expecting Flayn to arrive with Seteth in tow._

Awkward glances were exchanged between the students, half-expecting Seteth to send them back to their rooms as it was long past the Officer’s Academy curfew.

“You are all extremely dedicated to your professor, aren’t you? Flayn has told me all of your plan to accompany the Professor tonight, and though it is breaking the rules… I believe that cheering your professor up will also benefit the Archbishop, for she has been sad for both Jeralt and your professor.”

“So… What you’re saying is… This is all okay? Great!” Hilda was smiling widely, but was met with a glare from Seteth.

“No. It is not ‘okay’, as you put it. However, if it was unnoticed by, say… the guards around the monastery and members of staff for the academy...”

Claude got Seteth’s hint.

Everyone who would roam the academy that night had been told to ignore and not apprehend the Golden Deer students as they went to the graveyard. As it had been put, the scheme would be ‘unnoticed’.

When Seteth had taken his leave, the class made their way over to the graveyard. They went past a few knights of Seiros who just so conveniently happened to turn their backs as they approached.

Eventually, they got to the top of the stairs, and as expected, Byleth was sleeping – in front of the headstone this time, rather than against it. Her candle had been blown out by the wind.

“Okay, Golden Deer… Let’s cheer up our professor.”

* * *

* * *

Byleth opened her eyes slightly when the warmth of the sun began to beat down on her face. That was her cue to return to her room before life sprung forth to the academy.

However, she felt something grasping onto her around her waist as she tried to move. She moved her hand to rub her eyes so that she could see clearly, and her eyes widened when she realised that Claude was lying on the ground beside her, fast asleep with his arm over her waist.

She panicked – since _when _had Claude been there?!

Carefully, she pried the house leader’s arm away from her, before she sat up. A blanket fell down onto her lap as she did so.

_And since when had she been under a blanket? This was clearly Hilda’s blanket too, based on the perfume scent which came off it… _Then she noticed the pink-haired student asleep near her feet.

“What…?” Byleth then started looking around some more, and became overwhelmed when she realised what was going on. Marianne was asleep against a wall, Lysithea asleep leaning her shoulder, Flayn against the other. They too shared a blanket, but she noticed that there was a small vase of flowers – _flowers which apparently both of her parents loved –_in front of them.

Raphael was also asleep nearby, holding a restless Leonie in his arms. She appeared to have been crying too, which made Byleth’s lips tremble. _She wasn’t the only one who had been distraught by her father’s death…_

Lorenz and Ignatz had both taken to sleeping near the stairs. Lorenz had a cold and unfinished cup of tea beside him as he lay on top of a blanket. Ignatz had a pad of paper with a half-finished drawing of the scenery resting on his chest.

Tears formed in Byleth’s eyes when she realised that the entirety of her house of students had come out at night just to keep her company.

_She had been isolating herself from the world which had been so cruel to her, when in reality, her world was right here, in the form of her beloved students._


End file.
